Morning Miracles Chapter 3
by Twinklestar101
Summary: While in the city of Xorda, Aleena and her crew encounter the notorious theif, Rouge the Bat, and attempt to capture her. At the same time, Aleena experiences some signs.


Three weeks after my rescue, we arrived in a town that was holding a festival. Shops and saloons were open around us, and the environment was truly musical. We didn't plan on staying for long. Our next destination was still ways away.

Suddenly, a satisfying scent entered my nostrils.

I thought it was fish at first, but once I sniffed a few times, I imagined a world class grilled meal. I began to travel to where the scent was coming from.

"Janice?"

I turned back, remembering Cedric.

"I'm going to see if I can have something to eat over there. I'm feeling quite hungry."

I wasn't lying. As I was walking, I felt a snarl stirring in my stomach.

It was what I imagined it would be. A family was cooking chicken on a wide grill for all who passed by. I wasn't normally into chicken, but it looked so tender, juicy, elegant, worthy for a Queen. I couldn't resist.

"Excuse me."

The father faced me.

"Yes?"

"May I have a piece?"

He smiled.

"Absolutely. Help yourself."

I grabbed a piece of that sweet chicken.

"Thank you sir."

"Enjoy yourself now."

I sat on a bench so I could have a place to eat. Until I looked down at the chicken, I hadn't realized how big of a piece I took. There was no way I could finish the whole thing. However, when I took the first bite, I immediately absorbed the flavor. My taste spuds were taken to heaven within milliseconds. I took a larger bite, wanting more of the pleasure. Then, I was gobbling the chicken faster than I ran.

I hadn't realized how hungry I truly was.

I swallowed the last of it. With common courtesy, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and placed it and the paper plate in the garbage.

"Janice!" Cedric called from afar. "It's time to go!"

I obeyed. We left the festival and returned to the carriage to set off again.

By carriage, traveling to the City of Xorda took at least a few hours. We hadn't had much food since we had our meals at the festival. Although, I felt I desperately needed it. As we approached a light a mile from the city, my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Are you sure you had enough to eat at the festival?" Cedric asked me.

"I thought I did," I shrugged.

"We'll stock up in the city and you can search for whatever meal that satisfies you after our mission there."

"Of course," I nodded.

Neither me or my stomach agreed with the settlement.

Our mission was to capture an agent of Robotnik known as Rouge the Bat. She was notorious for her thieving skills and had a lustful interest for jewelry. Our theory was that if we convinced her that our wealth was worth more than Robotnik's she would join us.

She was last seen in the Main Plaza.

We began our search there. It appeared she fled cleanly. There was no trace of her.

Or she could be watching us, waiting to set a trap.

To my embarrassment, my stomach roared.

"Perhaps you should visit a market Janice," Amadeus suggested.

I didn't want to let the team down.

"It's only hunger. It doesn't mean I can't stay focused."

Easier said than done. I couldn't remember a time when I felt as hungry as a tiger who couldn't catch a mouse.

"We'd better keep moving so she doesn't hear."

All of a sudden, a net dropped upon us. We were taken by surprise, desperately struggling to break free. Cedric attempted to cut his way out, but the net was made out of wires.

"Seems like the mouse caught the cat this time."

She had been waiting for us after all.

I couldn't see her clearly because I lost focus. I didn't know what came over me. I stopped moving, instead finding myself breathing heavily. All I could interpret was her voice.

"I'm sure you're well aware, but I'm Rouge the Bat," she sneered. "But you can call me Rouge."

"The governor has informed us well," Cedric growled. "You may face the Freedom Fighters as many times as you'd like, but we will never surrender. You and your comrades will fall. Everyone else has."

"Who said I came to fight?"

Her eyes locked onto mine.

"The woman. Hand her over."

I held in a gasp. My biggest fear was that Robotnik had discovered me. And now, she was going to take me away to have me executed. I stared into the shock within the eyes of Amadeus and Cedric. They must have been thinking the same thing. Automatically, tears formed in my eyes

"What do you plan to do if we agree?" Cedric questioned, keeping his cool.

"I wasn't paid to answer questions," Rouge answered bluntly.

"Then you can't have her," Cedric told her.

"Fine."

She took out a hand gun.

"Then I'll have to pry her from your when you're dead and bleeding,"

The tears escaped more easily now. I believed she would kill Amadeus and Cedric at any moment.

Instead of death, the gun shot hit the mechanism that was holding us; the net disintegrated. Tails had arrived just in time by grabbing Rouge's arm, disrupting her aim.

"You brat!" she shrieked.

She raised her fist in the air to assault Tails. Before that could happen, Mary came up from behind and smashed the back of her head with a frying pan. Wide-eyed, she dropped the gun and fell to the ground, limp.

"Thanks mom," Tails smiled.

"Don't you go running off again," she lectured.

"I won't."

Amadeus intervened.

"Surely Mary, today can be an acception. He did just save our lives."

"He's still young," Mary argued. "He needs to learn."

"Like how you need to learn how to take better care of our cookware."

He pointed to the dent on the base.

"The bat lady has a hard head," Tails commented.

The mission had been a success, but a wave of tension struck all of us.

"Do they know?" Cedric breathed.

"She didn't use her name," Amadeus recalled. "I'm not quite sure."

"Whether they do or not, we have to protect her more than ever now."

"Aleena?"

Mary peered over my shaking body in concern.

I had my head buried in my knees, afraid to lift my head. My dress was soaked from my wet sorrow that appeared.

Everyone huddled over me now.

"Your highness?" Cedric spoke.

For a strange reason, I couldn't speak. I only broke out in sobs.

"It's over," Mary assured me, kneeling next to me. "We're all save. The mission is complete."

I only nodded. For a second, I was afraid I had lost my voice. I could only gesture what I was feeling.

"Yes?"

I placed a hand on my stomach just as it was gurgling.

"Oh," Mary realized. "You're hungry."

I stood up with my head held high while my stomach gave out a long, low growl.

"Where would you like to go?" Amadeus asked me.

"Anywhere," I replied swiftly.

I was still shaken by my rapid emotions.

"Of course," Cedric nodded.

We traveled to the nearest market place to find me a decent meal so my stomach could finally settle. I asked myself why my body and I acted the way we did.

Little did I know that the answer was closer than I thought it was.


End file.
